1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a user terminal, such as a music playback apparatus, a mobile phone terminal, an information terminal, or a communication terminal; a searching server accessed by the user terminal through a communication network, such as the Internet or a mobile phone network; and a method for searching for content or a content list used in the user terminal, the searching server, or a searching system including the user terminal and the searching server.
2. Description of the Related Art
Larger capacity and smaller size of storage devices and higher speed of a communication network, such as the Internet, have enabled users to record many songs in a mass storage device, enjoy music anytime and anywhere, and easily access a music server through a network.
Typical methods for selecting an appropriate song from among many songs include a method for specifying the name of a song or the name of an artist and a method for selecting a song from prepared genre or a play list. Also, a method for allowing a music playback apparatus to randomly select a song has been used.
Further, the following methods have been used as a method for selecting a song according to the taste or feeling of a user or a situation.
Patent Document 1 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-278547) and Patent Document 2 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-10771) disclose a method for selecting a song that matches an image of a user by receiving a keyword specified by the user.
Patent Document 3 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 11-120198) discloses a method for selecting a song desired by a user by receiving voice information input by the user.
Patent Document 4 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2003-84774) discloses a method for selecting a song in accordance with an average car speed, not with the taste or image of a user.
Other than the method for selecting a song that matches the taste or image of a user, Patent Document 5 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-299980) discloses a method for changing a tempo of music in accordance with a pulse rate or a movement tempo of a user. Patent Document 6 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 10-55174) discloses a music playback apparatus in which a music tempo is set in accordance with the swing of a taktstock. Patent Document 7 (Japanese Patent No. 3231482) discloses an automatic accompaniment apparatus in which an accompaniment tempo is set in accordance with a playing speed of a user.